Thursday, April 26, 2007

I've been doing different things on the internet today. Well let me say trying to do things. I've become more and more annoyed. Even I can type faster than it is printing the words. Going from page to page is frustrating. I have defraged and run virus and spyware programs which don't show any problems. My DSL rom good old AT&T is the fastest speed they have. We have had issues since we moved here. It may be this computer or not. Right now I am about to toss it out the window. Actually, I'm beginning to think it may be the Window Live Onecare. I did not have this much trouble before even just before crashes. Now let me find an open window! GRR...

Monday, April 23, 2007

So, Sheryl Crow is advocating limiting the use of toilet paper. Say what? She wants us to limit the number of squares we use per visit. Ok, sure. Ask any mother of small children to do this. Good luck. I used to work for a doctor who said, in jest, that he was going to limit the use of toilet paper in the office bathroom. However, Sheryl Crow is not kidding. On her blog she said,"Now I don't want to rob any law-abiding American of his or her God given rights, but I think we are an industrious enough people that we can make it work with only one square per restroom visit, except of course, on those pesky occasions where two to three could be required." Somehow I don't see this happening. Come on, that will surely take away the fun of TP-ing somebody's house. Isn't that a status symbol? There would go yet another fun thing to do. And how would I explain to Daisy that she can no longer pull the toilet paper around. How am I going to limit her to three squares? To limit the use of toilet paper could bring big changes in the art of potty training children. This could be the great American crisis. Tell a three year old child to use no more than three squares. Not gonna happen.

Then of course this was also during the time that Ms.Crow and her good buddy Laurie David, producer of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" got into a fight with Karl Rove. I would have paid good money to see that fight. They asked him to take a "fresh look" at global warming. Let's see, save trees, argue with Karl Rove, which would you do? How many trees will we save if we all use a maximum of three squares of toilet paper per restroom visit? Personally I would pay the extra money to TP Karl Rove. That would be worth the money!

Sorry Sheryl, I just dont see "law-abiding Americans limiting toilet paper usage. It is an American tradition. Sometimes three squares just won't clean the problem. It is bad enough when a person has to go or take a kid to a public restroom only to discover no toilet paper. Ask any mother about that nightmare!

Friday, April 20, 2007

First we see the rants of a madman. All the news channels have broadcast this. Some people were not happy to have this shown, others felt they got a look into the troubled mind of this person. His parents are now forced to leave their home and move frequently so that the public will not bother them.

Then we see the rants of another man. This man is a public figure who has a tv show currently running on NBC. TMZ.com has broadcast the ranting phone call of Alec Baldwin to his daughter, Ireland. He is very angry at her because she did not answer her phone. He screams at her, calling her a "pig". He blames his ex-wife and yells that his daughter has done him wrong. The news channels deleted the profanity when they aired the audio. Somehow I get the feeling that it is "all about Alec". He complains how his daughter treated him badly on and on.

Maybe we should all take a look at what we say and how we say it. Let's look at ourselves the way others see us. True this is hard to do, but maybe we should. I know I have thrown tantrums in the past. Usually, I felt better afterwards. After all, this was an easy way to blow off steam and let loose frustration. Sometimes I felt bad after ranting, sometimes I was embarrassed.

There is an old saying which relates "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all". If more people followed that philosophy, there would be fewer upset people in this world. Maybe there would be fewer wars. If we just stopped to think before we start ranting...Is there a better way to get the point across? Obviously Alec Baldwin never thinks before he speaks at least without a script in front of him. I knew that he and his wife had a very contentious marriage and divorce but I really wish he (they) would leave the kid out of it.

I wonder if all hot air being spewed by the blowhards of this world are contributing to global warming. There is one thing for sure if we thought more about what we were about to say or yell we might be better off. At least the world would be a little quieter.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Jimmy and I were playing with the Google maps the other day. It seems that all the news channels are now using it for stories. Zoom in on any city or country. Just think of those wonderful satellites roaming the skys taking pictures of Mother Earth. With just a click of a mouse you can find nearly anything in the world. Is that comforting? Did we find those weapons of mass distruction? Is a rogue army building up some lethal hardware? What is going on at Paris Hilton's house?

Then I looked right down at our building. I saw my car in the parking lot. That felt a little strange. Do I feel secure that someone is watching over me? Do I feel that my privacy is invaded? There is no good answer here. To think that someone can send a message to a satellite and find almost anything or anyone is both empowering and unnerving. Seeing my car in our parking lot made an impression on me. Technology is great. To think that satellite is keeping watch over my little car, well...uh,hum. I can't help feeling a little unsettled. Yet in our fast moving world, it is important to know where my car is.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

In the spring many people think of home improvement projects. Many choose to repaint or decorate a room or rooms in their house. Some decide it is time to landscape their yard or plant new flowers and shrubs or trees. All the colors of the new growing flowers just seem to make people a little more optimistic about life.

So think about this. Not only can you go to the local plant store or nursery to get those pretty, colorful plants, you can now have color on your air conditioner compressor. Huh? The York brand of air conditioners has been advertizing that they now have their compressors in colors. After all the house has a color scheme, right? The outside siding, trim or brick has different colors. Flowers and plants frequently accent the outside colors of the house. So now the air conditioner compressors are in colors too. Yeah, make sure the compressor matches the colors of the house.No longer is there the boring metal box sitting by or behind the house. It is now a decorative accent!

But, it does not stop with just the color offerings of the compressors. Now a compressor can also tell all the neighbors what college team you support. Somehow the color accents of the compressors can now include logos of colleges. Imagine that! So tell your neighbors what school you support by flying it's banner and showing it on the AC compressor. Isn't this a little much? What if your family favors more than one school? What if you sell your house?

I can just see it now. As a true Texas Longhorn fan, would you buy a house whose owner's air conditioner says Texas A&M Aggies? Call the decorator! Then call the AC sales man. What next?

Monday, April 09, 2007

We have all heard the jokes about losing socks in the wash. I rarely have that problem. However, the last couple of weeks a sock or two has decided to take a trip. I learned some time ago not to leave the socks on the floor while sorting the clothes for washing. Daisy loves to steal them. But the other week one of my black socks decided to go on a trip. I looked in the washing machine, the floor, the basket and even under the bed. No luck. Then today one of my tan socks took off too. Maybe they are going on strke for better shoes. I feel their pain. Every time it rains they get wet as we walk the dogs outside. It's not their fault, the shoes are old and have holes in them.Or maybe they just want a little adventure before they go to the great plastic bag that gets thrown into the landfill of the lost. Socks know these things. They feel the air between the toes or at the back. They know time is short.A little last fling before dying. We could all use one of those.

Alas,I found them lingering beside the washer. One never made it to the washer and the other made it through but jumped to the floor before going to the dryer. Come on guys, your mates miss you. I know, I know, you don't have that much time left and you want to see a few more things before I have to replace you. I feel for you. An old pair of socks so warm and comforting, what stories they could tell. Hold on a little longer please. I'm not ready to let you go just yet. But, get back in the sock drawer, now!

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Jimmy and I have been discussing question of getting rid of Astro the parrot. I'm in favor, he's not. Of course Jimmy doesn't have to clean the cage, the wall, the table or sweep the floor of seeds and poop. Occasionally he looks into the cage and speaks to the bird. I get stuck with the loudmouth bird and all the mess. We have found someone who would like to have it. So, this morning Jimmy stands in front of the cage and chats with the bird. "Oh, I'll just go buy another one" he said. As the steam rises from my ears, I told him fine-you do all the care and cleaning and smelling of it. This place is too small for us and the bird. To keep the bird quiet so it won't disturb the neighbors, I have to keep the cage covered. I've said over and over it's not fair to the bird. We can't even put him on the patio because he is so noisy. Of course the cats in the neighborhood would love it.

Then we see a news story about a man stuck in a tree. Breaking news- a man is stuck 60 feet up a tree with along with a bird. This guy owns a $2000 Unbrella Cockatoo which had flown out a window. The man climbed a tree to rescue this bird and could not get down. News choppers are overhead broadcasting pictures of the man and bird in the tree. A couple of local fire departments go to the scene but due to the location can't get to the tree to rescue the man. A Houston police department helicopter was called but wasn't able to help. Next,the Coast Guard comes out and finally is able to rescue the man and his prized bird. Let's see, the first fire department estimated their cost for this attempted rescue to be between $5,000 and $10,000. Neither the Coast Guard or the other local fire departments have said how much their price was. That guy must really love that bird.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Dogs really do funny things. I was cleaning up the living room the other day and found a surprise. It was wash day so first I picked up the blankets from Lady's chair;yes she has her own chair. Daisy's idea of her chair is anywhere I sit. So as I picked up the toys to put them in the other chair, I discovered a small theft. I noticed the other day that Daisy had jumped into the chair with all the toys and was pushing the little blanket around. It was like she was trying to cover up something.Now I know she was. She's quite adept at stealing food out of the hands of unsuspecting snackers. Just ask Amanda about the loss of her muffin. When I saw her nosing the blanket around I thought it was funny.

Imagine my surprise to discover that Daisy had found a snack pack of crackers somewhere and decided to "bury" them. I guess that the snack cracker package had fallen either off the counter or fell out of the pantry. I never saw her take them. She did not bite or smash them or try to tear open the plastic. She just hid them under the blanket in the chair. Wonder when she did that? Oh well. Kids say the darnest things and dogs do the darnest things. Maybe now I need to keep an inventory of our snacks?

Monday, April 02, 2007

At last baseball season is here! I'm so tired of re-runs and other boring shows. Finally the Houston Astros hit the field tonight. I'll be there in spirit. Once again we will hope for a good season. There are several unknowns, especially with the pitching since the only ace on the staff is Roy Oswalt. The other starters are question marks. Plus we signed up a big bat in Carlos Lee. He has some mileage on him and there are some pundits who say we paid too much at $100 million over several years. At his age, who knows? The Astros waived Eric Bruntlett but he cleared waivers and is now in the minors. He has a lot of talent and hits the ball well. Why did the team try to get rid of him? Who knows. Hunter Pence is another of those young good prospects that many people thought should be on the team, but he too is back at AAA. He most likely will be back up with the 'Stros at sometime during the season. One question still lingering, what about Clemens? Will he, or won't he retire and where will he play, Houston, New York, Boston? A hint might be a billboard welcoming the new season, It features some of the players, including Clemens. Would he allow his picture in an Astro uniform if he planned to go to another team?

Then of course I have a problem tonight. The game starts about 6:00pm. Most baseball games take at least two hours to play. That puts the late innings possibly still going at 8:00. That is when I have to decide Dancing with the Stars, 24 or Astros. Play ball!